Fractional HR director · Senior HR leadership, part of the week
Fractional HR director · what one does, what one costs, when you need one
A fractional HR director is a senior HR leader who runs a company’s people function for an agreed part of the week, on an ongoing basis, often for more than one company. They own HR policy, employee relations, pay and the people plan, and advise the CEO and leadership team, without a full-time appointment.
This page explains the role: the week, the cost, and how it compares with an interim or full-time HR director. To hire a fractional HR director or to browse fractional HR director jobs, go to the hub. We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent HR leaders.
How a brief runswhat we undertake
- 01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
- 02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
- 03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
- 04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
- 05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief
Shortlist3–5
In the press
Fast Company 16 leaders on when fractional C-suite hires make sense · 24 Jun 2026
Senior leaders disagree on when a fractional C-suite hire makes sense: many back one for a defined mandate, others want a full-time owner for work that needs daily attention. People leadership sits on that line, so it is a useful test before you scope the days.
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes to hire a fractional HR director
Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with HR director candidates, their day rates and availability.
- 0115 minutes, video or phone
- 02We scope the role and the days a week
- 03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
- 04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs
Pick a day that suits · live availability
On the board · last 3 months
Fractional HR director jobs on the board
Live HR director and people leadership roles
How fractional recruitment agencies compare is set out in one place, including how we work: a HR director brief and a shortlist of three to five.
01/ the role
What is a fractional HR director?
A fractional HR director is an HR director engaged for part of the week, on an ongoing basis. They lead the HR function in full: the policies and contracts, employee relations, reward, hiring and the people side of change, for an agreed number of days rather than five. “Fractional” describes the days, not the seniority.
The job sits between day-to-day HR administration and the long-term people strategy the CIPD, the professional body for HR, calls strategic HRM: a framework for how people are hired, managed and developed to support the organisation’s long-term goals. In a smaller company the HR director does both; in a larger one the strategy may sit with a chief people officer above them.
HR director or CHRO?
A CHRO, or chief people officer, is a C-suite seat that sets people strategy with the CEO and board. An HR director usually leads the HR function, sometimes below a CHRO. If the seat is board-level, read what a fractional CHRO is or hire a fractional CHRO. If it is the first senior people hire in a scale-up, see fractional head of people jobs.
02/ scope
What a fractional HR director does, week to week
The first month
A review of the basics: contracts and the handbook, policies, pay and how it is set, open employee relations cases, the HR systems and who does the administration. The output is a list of risks in order and a people plan the leadership team can agree.
A typical week
Advising managers on the difficult cases, reviewing hiring plans and offers, working on pay and performance frameworks, and overseeing the HR adviser or outsourced provider who runs payroll and administration. Disciplinary and grievance cases follow the Acas Code of Practice, the minimum an employer should follow; a tribunal takes it into account if a case gets there.
Change
Restructures, acquisitions and outsourcing take the most senior HR time. When a business or a service changes hands, employees may be protected by TUPE, with their jobs and terms transferring to the new employer. The HR director plans the consultation and the communication with legal advice alongside.
03/ comparison
Fractional, interim, part-time or a full-time HR director
Four ways to put senior HR leadership in place. They differ in the days, the length and the contract; choose by how much of the week the people work fills.
04/ vetting
How we vet fractional HR directors
What we undertake on every brief, before a candidate reaches you.
- 01
Qualification screen
Verify HR director tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING - 02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING - 03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY - 04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5
05/ what it costs
What a fractional HR director costs the published benchmarks
A fractional HR director is paid a day rate for the days worked, or a monthly retainer for an agreed number of days. No source we trust publishes a fractional HR director day rate we can cite, so we do not quote one; we set out each candidate’s day rate on the shortlist.
The nearest benchmarks: Robert Half’s 2026 HR salary guide puts a full-time HR director at £92,000 to £128,750 (25th to 75th percentile), median £110,250, and a chief HR or chief people officer at a median of £147,000 (Robert Half). Exec Capital, a recruiter, puts interim HR directors at £500 to £750 a day for steady-state cover in the mid-market and £750 to £1,100 for transformation briefs.
For the full salary picture, see HR director salary.
06/ fractional vs interim
Fractional HR director vs interim HR director part of the week, or all of it for a while
Fractional HR director vs interim HR director comes down to the days and the end date. A fractional HR director holds the seat part of the week on an ongoing basis, and stays while the company needs senior HR judgement without a full-time week. An interim HR director works full-time for a fixed period: a restructure, a merger, a TUPE transfer, or covering a departure, then leaves.
Exec Capital’s interim bands, £500 to £750 a day for steady-state cover and £750 to £1,100 for transformation, are for full-time interim work, not part-week fractional work. A part-time HR director is different again: usually an employee of one company on reduced hours. For full-time cover, see interim HR director jobs; for a permanent appointment, HR director recruitment.
07/ when
When to hire a fractional HR director the usual triggers
Companies usually look at when to hire a fractional HR director once people issues have outgrown a founder, an office manager or an HR adviser, but do not yet fill an HR director’s week. The common triggers:
Fast hiring. Headcount growing faster than the contracts, policies and managers can keep up with.
Employee relations cases piling up. Grievances, disciplinaries or absence cases that need senior handling and a fair process.
A first pay and performance framework. Pay set case by case, and people starting to compare notes.
A restructure, acquisition or outsourcing. Consultation, TUPE and communication that need someone senior to plan.
If the change is large and daily, an interim HR director fits better. When the work fills the week, most companies move to a full-time HR director, sometimes the same person; we recruit that permanent hire too.
08/ hiring
How to hire one the short version
Write down what the HR director must deliver in the next twelve months, who they report to, which HR staff or providers they manage and how many days that takes. Look for CIPD membership at the right level: the CIPD’s Profession Map describes Chartered Member work as strategic, and its membership levels run to Chartered Fellow for professionals influencing at senior levels. Take references from the CEOs they advised. A job description helps set the scope.
Settle the contract before the start date. Where the HR director works through their own company, the off-payroll working rules (IR35) may apply; status depends on how the engagement runs in practice, and a medium or large client makes the determination (HMRC’s guidance for clients). Our IR35 guide explains the tests.
To hire a fractional HR director through us, send the brief. We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate or pay, availability and IR35 position set out, after our five-stage vetting.
09/ questions
Fractional HR director FAQ
The questions people ask before bringing in a fractional HR director.
Book 15 minutes · shortlist of 3–5
Bring the brief. We architect the team.
A shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.
